


Revelations

by ShadowedInfinity



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Healing, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25668286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowedInfinity/pseuds/ShadowedInfinity
Summary: Ren's inquisitive mind leads him to uncovering some secrets about Kasumi Yoshizawa, kick starting a journey for the both of them he never saw coming.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 6
Kudos: 34





	Revelations

It truly was a beautiful day. The sun shone its luminous beams of light through a cloudless azure sky and if one were to look at the lake, they would see the mesmerising twinkle of playfully reflected light dancing happily among the ripples, obvious with their attempts to grab the attention of any lucky passers-by. And it was as crystal clear as the water that it had succeeded in its plans.

People marvelled as they paused on their leisurely strolls, staring at a sight city folk were not often treated too. The couples in their rowboats consistently found themselves laughing at the awestruck gawkers and always threw a cheery greeting their way, everyone returned with an enthusiasm not often seen with the attitude that accompanies metropolitan life. With their spirits lifted they went about their days, a gentle breeze guiding them on their way, filling their senses with the smells of freshly cut grass and the watery coolness wafting from the lake.

It was a pocket of paradise in the bustling capital. Birds were singing, insects were chirping, and if you were to really strain your ears, you’d be rewarded with the occasional croak of a shy frog hiding somewhere in the foliage or the water, intent on staying out of sight from any of the blissfully unaware humans. And yet despite the almost mystical nature of all this natural beauty, it was lost on one young man, sat by himself on a cold, hard bench as he stared out over the park with a practised indifference.

Ren Amamiya slouched back, letting no emotions cross his ashen eyes as he allowed the world around him to fade away to a dull drone as his mind fazed out his surroundings so he could mope. Today had been terrible, not that he had expected things to go differently. He had quickly learnt that any event that involved the students of Shujin Academy was going to end with a minor headache and complete demoralisation.

He had assumed the day was going to go wrong the moment he had awakened with a groan and he had been proven right upon his arrival at Inokashira Park. He had been separated from both Ryuji and Ann; hell, he even would have taken Mishima at that point, and instead been forced to work alongside three other random students he had never met before. This had predictably led to him being isolated due to the ever-evolving rumours involving his criminal record.

_ And obviously, that means that I’d rather stab them in full view of hundreds of witnesses for the crime of looking in my direction. Maybe I should work on my maniacal laugh as well, really go all out on the moustache-twirling routine. _ Unfortunately, not even his sarcastic thoughts were enough to cheer him up to any real degree and he found himself unable to repress the damned sigh that he had been holding in, breaking his once stoic facade.

“I don’t know the best way to put it… but that sure was a crappy time out there.” A high-pitched, childish voice called out to him and he looked over to his bag with a slight grin breaking out on his lips. No matter how bad the day had gone, he at least was not alone. Morgana, his faithful talking cat and partner, had stuck with him the whole time, riding along in his bag and suffering in his own way right alongside him. Even if he had just bluntly summarised their full day in a misguided attempt at comfort, he appreciated the attempt; and by extension his presence, all the same. Leaning over he began to gently pat stroke the feline’s head, secretly delighting in the mix of enjoyment and indignation that had appeared in his partner’s expression.

“Yeah, it really was. Not anything we didn’t predict though.” Morgana nodded along solemnly as the leader of the Phantom Thieves reapplied his walls and weaponised his stoicism once more, the mask slipping on as easily as drawing a breath. His deliberations ended a moment later when a sweet, feminine voice cut through his gloom with the sharpness of a rapier.

“Oh!” A brief flash of red in his periphery caused him to look up in intrigue only to be met with eyes of the deepest crimson he had only seen in one person in his life so far. Luckily, he found that staring was impossible as the eyes closed in happiness and so he decided to take advantage and take in the rest of the young lady’s appearance. His gaze honed in on her simple, red ribbon, the accessory tying up her matching hair into a simple, but elegant ponytail. All of these factors gave him a clear idea of who had just greeted him.

“I’ve finally found you! I was trying to find you so I could thank you properly for this morning.” His mind drifted back to Shibuya station where he had come across his fellow transfer student being harassed by a sleazy middle-aged man. He recalled the anger he had felt as he watched the crowd of people ignore her pleas despite their obvious interest, heads down and sly glances, attempting to avoid any form of confrontation. It had been just as potent as back in his home town and just like back then, he refused to let something as sickening as sexual harassment stand. She continued on merrily however, not noticing him jump as his thoughts came back to the present.

“So… where’d the people in your group go?” The obvious displeasure on her downcast face did go a long way in helping him feel better about his situation. The fact that he had gained another potential ally in and amongst an entire school of detractors was always a welcome turn of events.

“They ditched me at the first opportunity they got.” His attempt to wave off the act failed to work. The obvious displeasure from before deepened, her eyes not meeting his as her gaze dropped angrily to the bench. He had only been in Tokyo for a little over a month now, and he could count on one hand how many people had been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt about anything that he said. He was honestly quite thankful that he could start using the second hand now as well.

“Ah… I see. I’m in pretty much the same situation.” So she was left by herself too? It was a now confirmed fact that the students of Shujin Academy were terrible people.

“If it’s alright with you, why don’t we eat our soup together?” The shock caught him off-guard for a moment and a small smile broke through his stoic facade. He refused to think about the implications that a little kindness was enough to catch him on the wrong foot. After all, he was adamant about taking any small bits of luck he came across and he refused to let this gift slip out of his grasp.

“Sure, I’d love to!” He surprised himself once again by how warmly he had accepted that invitation, but it seemed to be clearing away any remaining angst at being so horrendously mistreated by both of their teams. In fact, it seemed that his simple acceptance was enough to lift her spirits. Her eyes had closed again as she clasped both hands in front of her face with a smile.

“Great!” Ren rose from his seat and began to stride away, leaving Morgana behind to protect his bag. The two students walked away happily, steadfastly ignoring the whispers and stares that dogged their every step. He quietly admitted to himself how impressed he was at her resolve in the face of adversity. She strode forward with unmatched grace, a small smile on her face and her eyes glistening as she glided towards Doctor Maruki who had called out a hearty greeting at their approach. For once that day fortune smiled on the pair as the doctor refused to question where their respective groups were. He just dished them both two servings of delicious smelling miso soup and pork, sending them on their way and gaining a smile and a thank you in response.

The honor student and the delinquent walked side-by-side back to the spot they had stolen for themselves, still under scrutiny from every other student in the school. They ignored the whispers and sat back on their bench, letting the peace away from judgement wash over them as they were finally left alone. However, they could not deny their hunger distracting from their moment and so the sprightly tones of the first-year soon broke the quiet.

“Thanks for the food.” She took a mouthful of her meal, savouring the taste and letting out a slight squeal of happiness before she resumed their conversation.

“I want to thank you again for this morning. That man was even more frightening than he might have appeared to you… so I truly appreciate what you did for me, thank you so much!” Her face had once again lit up into her signature beaming smile, eyes closed in sweet sincerity. Ren found himself struggling not to find her earnestness endearing.

“Don’t worry, it was the least I could’ve done.” He gave her a slight smile and a nonchalant shrug. He refused to let anyone suffer from abuse if he could help in any way. He was just happy this particular time he had avoided landing headfirst in another court case.

“Sorry, but I’m not even finished!” She had ploughed through his easy dismissal without a shred of thought, and Ren had to inwardly laugh at her actions. She really was polite to a fault, going so far as to say that his modest response was not enough, that he deserved to have more praise heaped on him.

_ I need to be careful, my ego may grow out of control if this keeps up.  _ His mind snapped back to attention when he felt the atmosphere around him change. The girl next to him had dropped her eye contact with him, favouring the ground instead as her face scrunched up in guilt, only exacerbated by the obvious regret that tainted her tone as she spoke up.

“There’s one more issue I need to address… I’m also so sorry for what happened the other day!” her tone had gone beyond regret to sorrow and she seemed to be unique in the way she caught him off-guard like no other person so far. Granted, this was more due to the fact he could not bring to mind what she was apologising for, and so with his ever-useful skill of hiding his emotions, he probed into what had made her feel so guilty.

“About what?” Her response came instantaneously.

“The run-in we had outside the guidance office.” He grit his teeth to near breaking point as he began to recall Kamoshida's voice warning what he deemed to be his new honor student about the dangerous and deranged new transfer student, how she would have been better off not getting involved with him. It was sickening confirmation from the worst source that he would always be public enemy number one. She had, of course, responded with  _ the  _ delinquent transfer student line, and he had inwardly sighed as someone he had attempted to help seemed to be going along with everyone else. But he did hold onto a slither of hope. Her tone had been more inquisitive than scared and he felt he had maybe been given a lifeline. He smiled as that last hope appeared to be true.

“Mister Kamoshida had just told me about you a moment prior, so I sort of spoke without thinking there… I heard some of my classmates gossiping about you too.”

“Were you disappointed?” He did wonder if the rumours had tainted her view of him. His question seemed to break through her regret, her crimson eyes found his grey ones again and she answered with a fierce conviction.

“No nothing of the sort. I don’t like gossip or rumours and the like. And I know this will sound strange since I just met you, but you don’t seem like the kind of person they describe.” That finally got an unabashed smile out of him. It turned out that some people in Shujin; even if it was a painful minority, were able to think for themselves and come to conclusions on their own. Maybe some would even get to know him. It was encouraging to know there were still good people there for him.

“It’d be a different story if all those rumours were actually true, though. What were all the crimes I’d heard? Burglary, murder and… elephant tusk trafficking was it?” He could have sworn that the disappointment that had started to once again show in her tone and face was aimed at the people spreading the baseless rumours, but either way, he had enough of her saddening suddenly in this conversation, especially over his situation.

“I drive without a license too, can’t forget about that one.” It seemed to work as she briefly giggled alongside him. Luckily, his shenanigans in the Metaverse would not be in question that day.

“Even I can tell you’re joking.” She smiled widely for a moment before her mind wandered and she let out a mortified exclamation. Her eyes widened in horror and he briefly wondered if he had done something strange or weird. However, his mind was put at ease even if her words came out in a startled shout.

“You know what? It just hit me — I haven’t introduced myself yet!” He chuckled at her mortification and treated her to a gentle smile. With a bow of his head, he beat her to the punch and introduced himself first.

“I’m Ren Amamiya, pleased to meet you.” He really meant it to. The startling amount of terrible introductions he had been forced through since moving to Tokyo was far too high for his comfort. Another pleasant one was always welcome. She nodded her thanks in response and gave him a tender smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry to make you go first Amamiya-Senpai. I apologise this was such a long time coming, but I hope we can get along well! I believe you already learned from our meeting at school that my —” She cut herself off as her attention flickered elsewhere. She stood suddenly, surprising both himself and Morgana who had been silent thus far. She fell gracefully, but quickly into what appeared to be a starting pose before she leapt into the air. It turned out a little girl had been walking past and had, unfortunately, let go of the balloon she had been holding, watching sadly as it had begun to float away.

In a feat of gymnastics that the two on the bench deemed by their limited knowledge to be ingenious, Yoshizawa had snatched the balloon while it was ascending. Ren could have sworn it had floated over his own height before she had so skillfully reached it; making the leap even more impressive, but she didn’t stop there. Before she dropped to what could be considered a painful landing on the hard ground, the redhead executed a perfect forward role while still firmly grasping the balloon, not a hair was out of place as she stood back up to her normal height and upon closer inspection, not a bead of sweat was found on her either.

“Wh...what the hell just happened!?” Ren had to agree with Morgana’s assessment, the speed and form had been flawless. It was difficult to believe his friend was capable of pulling off such a feat and he had just witnessed it firsthand.

“Oh, look.” His feline companion’s exclamation interrupted the spectacle before them, and his gaze followed Morgana’s down landing on a dropped Academy pocketbook. He leant down and plucked it off the floor, flicking it open briefly, he was greeted with a name written in a stylish cursive that fit the girl in front of him perfectly. Kasumi Yoshizawa.

She had yet to realise what he had found as she was still busy with the young girl she had lent a helping hand. She handed the balloon back to the now happy girl.

“Got it just in time… here you are. Don’t let go of things you like okay?” The young girl beamed her brightest smile, nodding her head in agreement and thanks before trotting off with a lot more pep in her step than when she had walked past before. Kasumi’s attention turned back to him as she walked over to their bench, standing in front of him with her hands clasped at her waist, a surprisingly relaxed posture considering what she just did.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to run out on you like that.” With a smile of understanding, Ren moved the pocketbook forward offering it back as his eyes began to sparkle with mischief.

“So, you’re Kasumi Yoshizawa right?” Her eyes widened in surprise as she let out a confused sound. Looking down her eyes landed on her newly discovered lost item, and she let out a giggle.

“I guess you sleuthed me out before I got to tell you. Well, you’ve cracked the case — I’m Kasumi Yoshizawa, a first-year!” She reached down and gently plucked her returned item out of Ren’s hand as he nodded in the direction of the stunt she had so flawlessly pulled off.

“That was seriously impressive.” He complimented, he was sure if he had not randomly discovered her name, his jaw would still be hanging wide open in shock. She seemed intent on playing down her actions as if it was an everyday thing.

“You mean that back there? Oh, it was just some basic gymnastics. It’s not that difficult once you get the hang of it — just a hop, skip, and a jump.” It may have been an everyday routine to her, but to someone who knew nothing of her chosen sport, it was a feat worth memorising. His mind began to formulate an idea and it appeared that Morgana was on the same train of thought as he voiced a suggestion.

“Gymnastics, huh? Hey, don’t you think some of those moves would be awfully useful? I was just thinking about how the Phantom Thieves need to get some sweeter moves too…” He continued mule over the idea for a moment, his mind was made up before the minute he started had even passed; not influenced at all by the kindness his new friend had shown him, nor heightened with the desire to get to know her better. His expression must have revealed more than he intended, however, as Kasumi had sensed something was off and sent a quick inquiry his way.

“What’s the matter Amamiya-senpai? Wait, is there a cat somewhere around here?” Morgana shrunk slowly into the depths of his bag as Ren quickly decided to kill two birds with one and distracted her with the idea that had been forming in both his and his partner’s brains.

“Can you teach me that stuff?” Her hand shot to her mouth as she covered it in shock, her eyes sparkling with what Ren thought looked a lot like hope and happiness.

“Does that mean you're interested in gymnastics.” Five minutes ago he properly would have said no and potentially ruined the mood but after that display, he was pretty curious, Plus the bonus of showing off in the metaverse was too tempting to pass up. Kasumi seemed to be even happier with that news, closing her eyes as her smile stretched across her mouth with an astounding beam, the sun meeting its match for a small moment. Her hands subconsciously crossed over her heart as her entire body bounced with joy.

“That makes me so happy! I’d be honoured if you’d allow me.” He admitted that he got caught up in the excitement as well. An honest happy grin crossed his lips, he had missed the warm feeling of one of those.

“The only problem is… I have a favour to ask for myself as well — if you wouldn’t mind…” With his interest piqued, Ren leant forward and gestured for her to continue. She gave him a nod of thanks, however, the happiness drained out of her, siphoning into the air around them. Her gaze became downcast and her tone seemed to mix with equal parts frustration, and sadness.

“Lately, I haven’t been getting the results I want from my performances, and I’m worried that I’m overthinking things. So it would be wonderful if you could give me some advice whenever you have the time.” His heart pulsed with sympathy, he knew exactly what it was like to be trapped inside your own mind. He still vividly remembered questioning himself after his arrest, the self-doubt gnawing away at his thoughts even as he told himself time and time again that he had done nothing wrong, even as he was shipped out to live in a new city by himself. He wanted to help if he could, but even now he wasn’t sure he was in any position to be giving advice. Plus, the not so small fact that he knew nothing about gymnastics.

“Sure you want my help?” He was usually more confident than this, but even he, as steadfast as he was, had his moments of weakness. He questioned whether or not he would do any good for Kasumi. She, however, immediately quashed these rebellious thoughts with a smile and a tone of rather forceful assurance.

“Of course I am! I’m not looking for technical coaching so much as just lending me an ear from time to time.” That he was more than happy to do for her, he did like to think he was pretty good at listening to people’s problems.

“I see… this sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me — what do you think?” Morgana had taken the words right out of his head, he got everything he wanted out of this. He got to train in gymnastics, he was able to get to know her better, and he got to help her with her troubles. This deal was heavily slanted in his favour.

“We have a deal.” His smirk came out as Kasumi popped off a slightly nervous salute before she stuttered out a cute “yes sir!” She quickly realised how silly she was being and promptly apologised with an abashed smile.

“Wait… that’s a little overboard. But, I promise! I’ll glean as much as I can.” A sly grin appeared on his face, excitement beginning to peak at the opportunity of learning a new skill and being able to learn about a new person. Suddenly his vision began to swim and fade to black and his surroundings began to dull. The sound of chains breaking rang out in the deep recesses of his mind as time slowed. The voice of what he assumed to be a young girl heralded the now familiar ‘ **I am thou** ’ speech. He raised a singular eyebrow as it was revealed his new friend was of the Faith Arcana, joining Maruki as his only other confidant not from the standard tarot deck. As his vision began to emerge back into the light and reality stabilised and time flowed back at its normal speed, he noticed that Kasumi was reaching into one of her pockets to pull out her phone.

“Oh, why don’t we exchange contact information? Hm? It shut down… sorry, my smartphone’s been acting up lately. Ha, it’s back! Okay, I’ll contact you when I have free time, if that’s fine!” Filing away his curiosity about the state of her phone for another time, Ren reached for his own, nodding to her as they both happily entered in each other's contact information. A voice, amplified through a megaphone rang out across the park, bearing good news for the Shujin students. It was the voice of the student council president, Makoto Niijima, if he was remembering her name correctly, he would have to check with Ann or Ryuji later, but for now, she seemed to be announcing the end of the cleanup event. The students were now free to go.

“Well, the clean-up seems to be finished. We’re already in our gym clothes — would you care for some basic training before heading home? Let’s start with some core exercises! Those are the foundation for staying in shape.” Smiling at her enthusiasm Ren happily accepted, getting up alongside his new teacher, the two moved to a more quiet corner of the park and watched as the other students began to filter out at a fast pace, apparently the students of Shujin Academy were not overly fond of being forced to pick up somebody else’s litter. Their impatience, however, did work to their advantage. While both had thick skin, neither wanted to cause any more trouble for the other and so they waited away from prying eyes.

Soon enough, they appeared to be alone. Kasumi had grown more and more excited as more people left, bouncing from one foot to the other in her eagerness. As soon as she was satisfied they would be left alone, she spun to face Ren, intent on finally wasting no more time and starting her teaching.

“Okay Amamiya-senpai, let’s get started! It’s important to stretch our muscles before starting any serious exercises so we don’t injure ourselves.” Luckily, this was something he knew already from his time spent with Ryuji, the ex-athlete had given him an entire rundown on how to prepare for a workout. Without pause the two fell into synchronised stretching, starting at their legs and working their way up their bodies, taking plenty of time with each muscle, making sure their bodies were treated with care. With this done, Kasumi began to lead him through some basic core exercises. Ren figured that between his Phantom Thief activities and his time spent with his best friend, that he was in decent enough shape to handle some simple techniques. He was wrong.

_ Gah! Why is doing these exercises burning so damn much? How is she doing any of this without breaking a sweat? And for God’s sake why is she still smiling?  _ Ren honestly hoped none of his thoughts showed as he smiled through gritted teeth and tried to keep up with the maniacal pace his energetic teacher was setting.

“Hope you’re hanging in there Amamiya-senpai, that’s stage one complete! Let's move onto some leg raises! They're great for both your legs and core.” He refused to groan, he still had his pride and he’d be damned if he let that be damaged by losing face in front of his new torturer. However, his infamous bad luck came back full force not a moment later when Kasumi, who had just finished her set, sat up and began to shout encouragement with a cheery voice that Ren felt was mocking him despite her intentions. He was sure there would be a time in the future when he would look back on this day with fondness and laughter. It was just such a shame that time was a long ways away.

* * *

Ren picked himself gingerly off the floor as he made his way unsteadily to his feet. Everything hurt. He had tried to understand how this had happened when they were only meant to be working their cores, yet, it became quite clear that these specific exercises actually target multiple parts of the body  _ alongside _ the abs. His core had still taken the brunt, but his legs, arms, and shoulders all took some strain too. He mercifully leaned against a tree and was able to relax for a moment as the gentle breeze cooled him down somewhat.

He had to admit that despite his aches and pains, he felt good. It was the post-workout high that came after strenuous exercise, the metaphorical pat on the back your body gives you when you do something healthy for yourself.

He had good reason to have this newfound sense of pride. He had managed to do a workout meant specifically for gymnastics, that was what Kasumi had told him. He had done amazingly well for a complete novice. He winced when he realised he had rather enjoyed the praise, he must have been lacking in positive affirmations if her words had put that big of a smile on his face. She had given him a proud beam before declaring she was going to find them some water to re-hydrate. He had said no originally, saying that he would be the one to go but she had been rather forceful in her demands, and so now here he stood, waiting for his new friend to come back with their beverages.

“Ren-senpai! Over here!” He casually glanced over in the direction of the wall to see Kasumi jogging towards him with two bottles of water in her hands, her bright smile still affixed to her face. She seemed to have shrugged off the effects of their workout as she moved with her own practised grace. Inwardly, he doubted she even needed to recover, she had, after all, bounded off in search of refreshment without a shred of tiredness. Her quick pace brought her in front of him quickly and he smiled at her, giving her a quick thank you before he started to chug the water she had handed over to him.

She giggled at both the expression of pleasure as his drink passed his lips, and at the speed at which it vanished down his throat. She opened hers at a much more measured pace, taking delicate sips and enjoying the comfortable silence that had fallen between the two of them for a few minutes.

“So, how did you find the workout Amamiya-senpai?” He looked over to her and a smirk began to form on his face.

“Quite difficult. I’ve been sprinting and working out with a friend recently, but nothing quite as focused as that. Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it though, I love a challenge.” She smiled at his confidence.

“I’m so glad you feel that way! Gymnastics can be challenging, but I know you’ll do great. You handled the exercises I ran you through today better than many of the beginners I’ve seen. And it was your first time! I’m sure you’re a natural.” He gave her a smile and a nod, however, his eyes soon turned mischievous and Kasumi felt herself tense up slightly in nervousness.

“That’s high praise coming from an  _ actual _ natural like yourself. Someone with your talent must have entered some competitions from time-to-time, am I right?” She nodded slowly, still smiling despite both her nervousness, and her inability to see where he was going with this particular line of conversation. 

“And how well did you do in said competitions?” She brightened up at that, forgetting for the moment the nervousness that had been twisting in her gut.

“Oh! I’ve managed to do quite well Amamiya-senpai! I’ve won quite a few of the meets I’ve taken part in.” She hoped her words did not come across as egotistical, but she was proud of her achievements, and she refused to play them down; she had worked so hard to get to where she was in the gymnastics world. His face briefly flashed to a look that was clearly impressed before morphing back to that sly, confident grin he had previously worn. He moved suddenly to pull his phone out of his pocket, his grin stretching to astronomical proportions at the motion. Kasumi’s face creased in confusion, still unsure what crazy ideas were flowing through his head. She was starting to think it was probably wise to not find out.

“Well then, I bet we can find some footage of our favourite honor’s student performing one of her amazing routines, possibly even a few of her victory speeches.” Relief flooded through her and she threw her head back and let out a wholesome, if not boisterous, laugh. It carried through the park, causing a few of the passers-by to turn and smile at the two friends enjoying their time together.

“Go ahead Ren-senpai, it’ll give you an idea of what I’m capable of!” With the vote of confidence from his new friend, Ren dexterously unlocked his phone, his wide grin still present on his face as he booted up his internet browser.

“If there isn’t any cheesiness, I’m going to be disappointed.” He smiled at her giggles, and with a deliberate slowness that made Kasumi roll her eyes at the cheap attempt at drama, he entered  _ Kasumi Yoshizawa gymnastics  _ and hit search.

* * *

Kasumi was sure that her mind was playing tricks on her, the lovely breeze that had lazily rolled its way through the park had started to pick up, while not at any sort of apex it was wild enough to whip around her, rustling her hair and clothes. She was sure it cooled the air around her as she looked up worriedly to the sky to see the sun disappearing behind dark clouds, the day starting to dull into a more subdued grey. She tried to listen to the sounds of nature to calm herself down somewhat, but was met with a horrifying silence. The birds were cowed by the shift in the atmosphere, but she convinced herself that it was because she was not straining her ears hard enough. She ignored it all to focus on the one thing she was sure about. Her new friend was frowning at his phone in confusion.

“Erm.., Amamiya-senpai?” Her voice was tentative as her head began to pound. Why was she feeling so uncertain? She was  _ the _ Kasumi Yoshizawa, the bold and assured gymnastics star that was heading to the top of the world as soon as she conquered her slump. Uncertainty was something that held no place in her psyche, so why now? Was the slump affecting her that negatively? She inwardly cursed as she realised she was starting to overthink again.

She brushed her increasing self-depreciation to the side as her upperclassman tore his eyes away from his phone and gave her a cool, measured look. She longed to know what information he had seen that made him regard her with such stoicism.

“Can you give me a minute? I just need to double-check something.” While his tone retained its friendliness, a bit of the warmth he had used just a moment ago, had vanished. She nodded, repressing a shiver as the wind tore into her with a vengeance, a freezing crescendo that deafened her and left her stranded alone with nothing but her ugly thoughts, and a pounding headache that seemed intent on maliciously tearing into her mind.

It felt so alien and yet so painfully familiar, why? Why was she turning into this walking contradiction? Her heart thumped erratically as Ren seemed to be taking years to ‘double-check’ whatever had put him on edge. Slowly, his face began to scrunch together in a mixture of pity and confusion and for a horrifying second, Kasumi was sure she was about to lose her first and only friend at Shujin.

_ What has Amamiya-senpai seen? He’s turned so serious so suddenly. Please, I don’t want to lose a friend, I’m not sure if I can take another loss … _

Eventually, he looked up, his expression measured, but forcibly calm.

“Kasumi, I hope I’m not overstepping my bounds here but could you look at this for me please?” She nodded her agreement and moved forward, picking up the offered phone before flipping it around and looking down at the screen. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened as tears began to wet their corners. She wanted to run, scream out the maelstrom that was forming within her, but she couldn’t. All she could do was stare at the screen that told her she was dead.

Frantically, she began swiping through the website Ren had found, different details popping out that upgraded the pounding headache into a full-blown migraine, she could practically taste something forbidden behind the pain but she delved no further as she refocused onto the phone. According to the news article, Sumire had survived and she had died, but that made no sense! How could she have died, she was alive and right there, in that moment in time, in the flesh.

She scrolled down further and came across a picture that made her mind rebel, pulsing and throbbing against her skull. There she was, Kasumi Yoshizawa, except it wasn’t her. She never had a beauty mark, her eyes were a vibrant crimson just like her hair, not the deep brown the picture showed, mismatching with the soft auburn strands of the girl in the picture. It was too much, there were too many mixed feelings gnawing away at her heart. The migraine unabated as it carried on its desire of splitting her head in two.

“There’s more.” Ren leaned over and clicked on his phone for a moment. She was greeted with a whole page of links reporting on her supposed death. News websites, some sporting and gymnastics sites, and even one or two blogs, all denying the simple fact of her continued existence. Her heart and mind pounded as her breathing became ragged.

“No… no no no no no no no.” She muttered to herself, half-delirious as her vision turned white for a second as something painful tried to fight its way to the front of her mind. She pushed back as hard as possible, a faint whisper of a man’s voice going unnoticed even as it encouraged her to fight. However, Ren stole her attention once more as he leaned over her and clicked the link to one of the blog posts. She watched in growing horror as the website loaded and he scrolled to the bottom where a video link was embedded.

He tapped it and the video began to play. She watched from the viewpoint of a crowd of people as the girl from the image on the news reports was loaded onto a gurney by grim-faced paramedics, the mutterings of the crowd blocked out any of the words they spoke to each other, but her attention was no longer on the ambulance. It was on a lone paramedic who was trying to comfort a shocked and distraught girl. A shocked and distraught girl who’s crimson, tear-filled eyes and hair matched hers perfectly, and whose face was left unblemished by a beauty mark, just like hers. A shocked and distraught girl that was not just any random lookalike, this shocked and distraught girl  _ was _ her. Her mind pulsed again, and she heard her true name being screamed through her thoughts by a painfully familiar voice before the screech of brakes slammed into the wall surrounding her memories.

The thin glass around her world shattered, her mind fracturing as the knowledge of who she was returned to her with startling clarity. As her head and heart broke in a twisted unison, Sumire Yoshizawa screamed into the howling winds around her before her world fell to darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this my first time posting on this website so if things have gone wrong (such as formatting) please let me know!
> 
> Also, I have to say I'm not the fastest to update, this is currently made even worse by the fact It's looking extremely likely I'm about to be made redundant so please go easy on me for the time being.
> 
> I'd also like to say I give blanket permission for people to share this around to different websites such as Reddit if they want. While I won't share it myself, I have no problems if others want to do it for my lazy ass! Hope you all enjoyed the story, and feel free to ask me about anything!


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